CARB to boost low-use mileage exemption

UPDATE: Following this report, CARB’s advisory on its “good faith effort” made clear it was not boosting the low-use exemption to 5,000-7,500 miles run within the state of California but rather looking at placing on top of the current 1,000-in-state-miles low-use exemption another for trucks run a total of 5,000-7,500 miles.

CARB’s enforcement strategy for its emissions regulations is increasingly involving tactics similar to what the FMCSA is doing with its CSA program, putting fear of liability implications into carrier customers. “The supply chain is starting to run scared,” Joe Rajkovacz, pictured, said of CARB’s growing enforcement. “Say a one-truck guy gets popped in California — if he leaves the state and never comes back, CARB’s not going to pursue him. But they’ll go after the shipper, the broker, the dispatcher. Shippers are now asking carriers for CARB compliance certificates…. [CARB is] trying to turn shippers/receivers/brokers into their unwitting enforcement agents.”

Good news for owner-operators and fleets in the Eastern U.S. who run to California only occasionally or can keep their in-state miles below the 5,000-7,500 range per year: The California Air Resources Board is reportedly prepared to liberalize its low-use exemption for trucks that would otherwise require upgrade under its Truck & Bus Rule.

Sean Edgar of CleanFleets and Joe Rajkovacz of the California Construction Trucking Association, speaking at the annual meeting of the National Association of Small Trucking Companies in Nashville, Tenn., said that the low-use exemption was being boosted from a cap of 1,000 miles a year to somewhere in that 5,000-7,500 miles a year, per truck, range. The low-use exemption will be available through 2020.

Details, ultimately, could be in hand within days, Edgar said. Also, The “Good Faith Effort” will allow six months into 2014 for registered owners to replace or retrofit trucks — or to apply for loans and/or grants to enable such. That provision, Edgar added, would allow for the “opportunity for the old truck to operate for the first six months [of 2014] in California provided things are in place.”

Taking advantage of the low-use exemption wouldn’t be without its hassles, Edgar said. Owners would need to report vehicle, engine and owner information via registration with CARB — keep your eyes out for the final guidance from CARB, he said, and any deadlines for registering that could be within 60-90 days.

After registering, said Edgar, a certificate would then go into the truck for roadside verification, and “IFTA records will be reviewed if a company is audited.”

Owner-operators leased to larger fleets “can exercise this option themselves, but the responsibility for the mileage will fall on the fleet,” Rajkovacz said.

Rajkovacz called the 11th-hour move by CARB a “huge give to industry in the Eastern part of the United States,” though he added it was driven primarily by in-state politics. Many of the CCTA’s members — mixer operators, for instance, who run very low mileage, also stand to benefit.

It appears they may run out of truckers to haul their food supply or daily essentials so I say just start importing your junk from Taiwan or China because it’s a little late to invite me back… Sorry but I’ll take my old truck that your green inviro nuts insulted and just continue hauling happily in the southeastern United States!!

RACER

Let their stuff just sit there in the groves and fields, and help the growers in other areas of Our Nation to get better returns on their work and investments. Citrus in Fla. has problems from Canker and Greening and needs some help.

ZigZag

Anybody not living and or based in Cali. Should not do anything to our trucks. It’s all bull shit. How many of CARBS board members own stock in the companys that make these filter sytems? or stock in the def making companys?

Steve

Best thing us with older trucks can do here is absolutely nothing..no Retrofit no newer truck..don’t go there..over 60% of the trucks going into California are older then 2006..so let them tree huggin inviromentalist green head carb people sit with there rotten tomatoes ,and wonder where there going to get there next pair of shoes..I hope truck loads of rotten produce gets dumped on there front yard..now I believe in taking care of pollution too,but taking away a persons job is insane..my 2000 Pete has a new motor 2 yrs ago..is in great shape..and will get a newer one when I see it’s due to replace..so old truck people..STAY OUT OF THE STATE

Thomas Duncan

I find it amazing that laws are passed and then they select who they will apply to.The farms and business in Ca. are given exemptions and can all day everyday within 100 miles.I go out there and leave asap and I am being forced out.SCREW Ca. and all their deadassed ideas….I tell ya what,start enforcement on everybody now on all your laws and watch the rebellion begin!America has just about had enough of this!

Stormy

Way too little, way too late. Our damage has been done and now it’s time they figure out what happened. They left the big companies to charge whatever they wanted to haul in and out of CA. I am sure the businesses are feeling the pain of a panel who have bragged about how well this was working and how much they had cleaned up the air. The other states who are considering this had better take the time to figure out what is going wrong,

We ran entertainment and we lost 3 shows because of these rules. I called ARB when the first show came up, We would have been in CA for 3 to 5 days. They weren’t interested then, because we were over the allowed limited mileage, I have no reason to believe they would be interested now. They could make this change to increase the miles and then could change it back again tomorrow. I can’t get the shows I lost back and I can’t get those customers back. They can’t get me back in the state so we both lose. I just lost more. I have told my customers we were no longer legal to run in CA and I will not call them back and tell them we can now go to CA. For CA to expect an owner-operator to spend $15,000 + per truck to travel in their state for 3 to 5 days a year is beyond insane, not to mention the expense of maintaining the trash that was being putting on the trucks.

I am sure the board is looking at their highway funds and wondering what happened when they lost their “fair” share of IRP, their quarterly IFTA taxes and tolls, not to mention the fines they could have collected from the truckers who dropped them like a hot potato. Somebody once said they can;t eat their clean air and blue skies. They sure can’t and I can’t afford the cost of admission. So the CA residents can just cough up some more tax money or they can continue to try to access fines to companies in their state who didn’t comply with $250,000 and $260,000 fines,

It was a sad ending to the major part of income for our business but when I started figuring out the expense to become and stay compliant in CA, there wasn’t anything to even think of. If I had done that, I would have been as insane as they are.

I am curious if they will be changing the number of hours I could have run my pressure washer in the state. It is specifically marked on the box that my pressure washer is not legal for operation in the state of California, To much??? Oh, I think so.

gj

KALIFORNICATE CAN KISS MY ASS!!!!!!!

localnet

Let them eat cake.

Robert Clark

I have not hauled anything in or out of CA since 1995. And I will continue to boycott CA due to the “Greenie Weenies” unrealistic behavior. Fortunately I have the option to pick and choose where I go. Me and my 2006 Western Star with a CAT engine are not welcome in CA, so we say “CA go pound sand.”